The Grey Guard

A LOTRO Kinship on the Laurelin server since May 2007

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Gath Forthnír, Angmar

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The Great Axe of Dor-lómin

posted by Eiadric
on 20 February, 2010 - 18:09

I wrote this when I got my very first First Age Legendary weapon

The story of this great axe begins in the First Age ere the lands were sundered and Beleriand sank beneath the waves. It was crafted by Telchar, the famed dwarven mastersmith of Nogrod, at the request of Fingolfin, the High King of the Noldor.

When Hador, the founder of The House of Hador was granted lordship of the land of Dor-lómin Fingolfin gave this great Man the axe as a gift.

In the Dagor Bragollach (The Battle of Sudden Flame) Morgoth broke the four hundred year old Siege of Angband. Wielding the great axe, Hador and his men fought alongside Fingolfin against the swift onset of Morgoth's forces. By the end the northern kingdoms were successfully defended but it cost Hador his life as he was slain defending the retreat of his lord. It was said that his death was greatly mourned by the Eldar, as he was accounted the mightiest chieftain of the Edain and an equal to the elves in the First Age.

The treasured heirloom was recovered and remained with the lords of Dor-lómin as the axe passed from father to son. And thus it passed that once again it was wielded in battle, this time by Húrin, the grandson of Hador in the Nirnaeth Arnoediad (The Battle of Unnumbered Tears), the fifth and last of the great battles of Beleriand.

In the midst of battle Húrin joined forces with the host of Turgon, the great elven king of the hidden city of Gondolin. When the battle was lost, he convinced King Turgon to withdraw. He gathered all the remaining men of his House for a last stand against the tide of evil. Step by step they were pushed back by the armies of Morgoth. They were pushed until the river Rivil was at their backs, there they took not a single step further. They kept on fighting until dusk and in the end Húrin stood there alone. According to legend his axe was covered in the black blood of the orcs and trolls until his swings became weaker and slower. But with every swing of his axe he yelled with all his voice: "Aure entulava!", meaning "Day will come again!". This battle cry was heard seventy times more. Húrin fought with the battle axe until he was defeated by Gothmog, the greatest of the Balrogs and was bound and brought captive to Morgoth.

Once again the axe was recovered and after that day it was known as “Húrin’s Wrath”. But now it was moved to the safety of Menegroth in Doriath where Túrin the son of Húrin spent his early days. To honour Húrin and his extraordinary martial deeds the axe was never again wielded by the great Edain of old.

As fate would have it, before the end of the First Age the relations between Doriath and the Dwarves of Nogrod suddenly soured with catastrophic consequences. An argument arose over ownership of the Nauglamír , an ancient and precious dwarven necklace that had been crafted into union with a Silmaril. In the ensuing aftermath Thingol, the Great King of The Grey Elves was slain and a great dwarven host was assembled that sacked Menegroth and took with it all which it deemed to rightfully belong to the dwarves, there among the Great Axe of Dor-lómin. In Nogrod it remained and languished in obscurity for the rest of the age in the hands of the dwarven lords.

At the end of The First Age and the upheavals that followed whence Beleriand sunk beneath the waves, Nogrod was ruined in the reshaping of the Ered Luin. Many of the Dwarves of Nogrod departed for the east and joined with Durin’s Folk in Khazad-dum. The Great Axe of Dor-lómin came thence unto Khazad-dum, but like much of Dwarven heritage, was lost in the destruction wrought by the release of the balrog, Durin’s Bane. Thus this glorious weapon passed out of all knowledge for an age.

After the passing of the Fellowship of Nine through Moria, and the defeat of the Balrog at the hands of Gandalf the Maia, many dwarves returned to Moria in an attempt to retake it from the orcs and other evils which remained. The Watcher was ever a thorn to the dwarves in their efforts, and many a party were sent to find and defeat him. During a foray into the depths of the waterworks, a band of adventurers were successful in defeating this ancient menace. In the trove of ancient relics and weapons found in his abode was the long lost Axe of Dor-lómin.

As most precious things it is known by many names; Fingolfin’s Gift, Defender of Turgon, Húrin’s Wrath, and most commonly, The Great Axe of Dor-lómin.

Note: I borrowed some of the wording in the last paragraph about the passing of the fellowship from Haakon Stormbrow 'cause I like the way he wrote it.